2012-9-13可樂美文分享《Give to m…

Night after night, Mom came to tuck me in, even long after my childhood years. Following her long-standing custom, she leaned down, pushed my long hair out of my face, and then kissed my forehead.
    母亲总是为我掖好被子，然后俯下身子，轻轻拨开覆在我脸上的长发，亲吻我的额头。日复一日，母亲一直保持着这个习惯，即使我已不再是小孩子了。

    I don't remember when it first started annoying me. Finally, one night, I shouted out at her, "Don't do that anymore--your hands are too rough!" She didn't say anything in reply. But never again did my mother close out my day with that familiar expression of her love.
    不知从什么时候开始，母亲的这种习惯让我感到不悦。终于，在一个夜晚，我忍不住冲她吼了起来：“你不要再这样做了，你的手好粗糙！”母亲无言以对，但她从此再没有用这种熟悉的爱的方式来为我的一天画上句号。

    Time after time, with the passing years, my thoughts couldn’t help returning to that night. I missed my mother's hands and missed her goodnight kiss on my forehead.
    随着时间的流逝，很多年过去了，我禁不住想起那一夜。我想念母亲的双手，想念她印在我额头上的“晚安”。

    Well, several years have passed, and I'm not a little girl anymore. Mom is in her mid-seventies, and those hands I once thought to be so rough are still doing things for me and my family.
    若干年后，我已不再是个小女孩了。母亲也已到了古稀之年，可她那双曾经让我觉得粗糙的手却依然在为我和我的家庭操劳。

    On a Thanksgiving Eve, as I slept in the bedroom of my youth, a familiar hand hesitantly ran across my face to brush the hair from my forehead. Then a kiss, ever so gently, touched my brow.
    在一个感恩节前夜，我睡在儿时的卧室，一只熟悉的手犹豫着从我的脸上掠过，梳理着我前额的头发，然后，一个吻，带着一如往日的温柔，轻轻落在了我的额头。

    Catching Mom's hand in my hand, I blurted out how sorry I was for that night. I thought she’d remember, as I did. But Mom didn't know what I was talking about. She had forgotten it, and forgiven me long ago.
    我一把抓住母亲的手，一股脑说出我对那一晚深深的愧疚。我想，她一定和我一样，对那晚的事历历在目。然而，母亲却不知我在说些什么。她早忘了，早已原谅我了。

    That night, I fell asleep with a new appreciation for my gentle mother and her caring hands. And the guilt that I had carried around for so long was nowhere to be found.
    那天晚上，我带着对母亲的再次感激安然入睡，我感激她的温柔，和她那呵护的双手。多年来压在我心头的负罪感也随之烟消云散。